Asya ff In The Shadows Chapter 25a page 94 3/11 - Page 38

nice.but i dont believe siddique. he is upto something bad. plz continue soon

Sid is planning something evil, I could see it coming. Something is up. But, Asad is actually going to a shell again. Is he regretting his promise that he made to her. I hope he comes around soon. Its not too late.

awesome update as usual

Originally posted by: veenisha

awesome update as usual

love the way you describe each and everything in detail

loved reading it 🤗

I hope siddique doesnt plan to seperate them

Originally posted by: LuvUAsYa1

wooow!wooow!wooow! Read d whole story in a go!it ws fantasticaly fantibulously fabulous! Awesm dea! U r marvellous writer! Im really lik glued 2 d story ! Eager to read more! Plz cntinue soon n plz plz PM me! :)

Amazing update...mr.siddique is playing smart...I think zoya will definitely chose asad but maybe asad will take time to accept the truth...eager to know what happens next...plz continue soon...thanks for pm...amazing banner...

Chapter 22

"He left?" Zoya asked in utter incredulity. She did expect an unanticipated reaction but leaving was out of question.

Dilshad nodded herself lost somewhere. Najma stood immobile, equally befuddled.

"How can he……..?" her tears had now dried up, she gaped at the cell phone in Dilshads hand.

Dilshad and Najma stared at her in helplessness. Zoya's hand flies to her head as she loses consciousness, where the two ladies rush towards her.

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As the plane was about to take off, Asad pressed his temples hard, a severe pang rises in his head, he senses the alarm but sighs in helplessness.

'I am sorry Zoya. I have to do this…………..my staying here might make me take a decision, which may prove fatal for both of us………I am sorry I am leaving you here…..but I think for now I need some time alone.'

He read and re-read the message he had typed two hours ago. He still couldn't gather up enough energy to push the damn send button. Alas! he tosses the message into the drafts, switching off the cell phone as the plane took off for Sharjah.

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It's been three days since Asad left. The only message that came from his side was,

'I am fine. Will be back in two weeks.'

Sid came the other day to give Zoya all the explanations and justifications. Zoya, if it weren't for Asad, would have listened patiently because these were the questions she had been waiting for a life to be answered but now when they were finally out, all she felt was completely distracted. Her mind drifted now and then towards Asad only. She sat there in front of him all lost and motionless where Sid thought this was the reaction to his words. Sid somewhere felt uneasy with her response, but thought of ignoring it then. After all how much did he know about her habits. He, totally unaware of the ache she felt at this weakening of her bond with Asad, somewhere felt blessed to have his daughter again in his life, not caring that his deeds might make her stay rather short-living in his verve.

He in the end requested her to come along; Zoya was beyond just surprised at his sudden appeal. Dilshad and Najma didn't say a word; they had left it on her to decide. Zoya didn't want to go but she knew she had to; after all she just couldn't throw out all her love for abbu even after hearing everything from Najma. However, she asked for some time to which he agreed readily. Sid could not keep the curiosity, the emotions playing on her face indicated signs of distress and anguish, he finally asked her if something was bothering her. She denied any such thing and tried appearing normal in front of him, pretending everything was perfect between her and Asad. Of course she didn't want to give away any indication of the loopholes in their relation-ship, which was not so new but still not strong enough to be invulnerable.

'Its better to put a gap in a relationship when it can be worse otherwise. It sometimes helps saving a relationship. He obviously needs some time to absorb all this. Why am I failing to understand this?'

Zoya fought with her inner soul to keep the little rays of hope high. But the two weeks without him seemed so excruciating, agonizing beyond limits, heartbreaking and painful. She was stunned on the fact that she could be so obsessed with him, he was truly infuriating, an addiction so not easy to give up.

But nothing could keep her from trying to reach him through e-mail, text messages and phone calls; he didn't respond; she knew he wouldn't.

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One week later:-

Zoya sat like a ghost at the same Dargah she had met Asad for the very first time. The memories were crystal clear in her eyes, never could she conceive in her lively mind that life would take so many twists and turns and in the end bring her in this position, she was now in. Right-now all she knew was this waiting was getting to much- all she could wish for was for Asad to be with her right now, to share the suffering she was going through- like he always did. But the irony of fate or the paradox of her life; he wasn't here; she had to go through it all alone; but she knew wherever he was he was going through the same agony, same pain and same loneliness. A bead rolls down her cheeks, someone boisterously settles down beside her.

"Didn't know would find you here!" Ayan exclaimed.

Zoya looked up at him clearing away her tears. A little surprised at his sudden emergence.

"Whoa! You look so different! Some silly diet plan?" Ayan could sense her gloom, so he tried cheering her up.

"Oh you…..Ayan! what brought you here?" Zoya manages a little curve around the lips.

"Fate…… anyways stop doing this to yourself, he is fine just a little……."

"Emotionally challenged…" Zoya offered.

Ayan chuckled. "Suits him."

Ayan asked after a while of silence. "Missing him?"

"Like hell."

"Don't worry……. I am keeping a track of him……he is alive and in perfect health……just a little mentally retarded at the moment."

"He is such a ………" Zoya trails off.

"your Step-cousin." Ayan suddenly said as if remembering something.

"Step-cousin?" A confuzzled Zoya asks.

"Yeah!...if we come to relate you two, he is my mother's brother's daughters' cousin's half-brother……….so practically your half cousin."

"Argh! That's terribad…..he is better off my fianc only."

"You wish."

"Shut-up Ayan." She glares at him.

"But on a serious note…….how bad can it be? I think he is just upset and nothing. I hope you know why?"

Zoya sighs. "I wish it didn't have to be so…..but he is more than just upset I tell you."

She looks at him sadly. Both remain silent for a while, recalling all the blissful moments they had shared together, all the fun, all the gloom, surprises, pains, supports and burst outs. Both were lost in the memories, the memory which had him, of course he was special to both of them and his sudden disappearance was not pleasing for any of the two.

"Ohh! I love him." Zoya and Ayan exclaim together and then surprisingly laugh at their unexpected synchronization.

"Well, I love him more."

"May be, but he loves me more." Zoya retorted.

"Oh really?"

She nods, smiling just to annoy him.

"I don't think so."

"Not my problem." She snapped back indifferently.

"Okay then prove it." Ayan challenged.

"Prove it? How?"

"Bhai jaan keeps two cell phones. I think he will be quite less traumatized by now, so we both are going to call him simultaneously, the one he picks first wins. Challenge?"

Zoya thought for a while, if it were normal conditions she would have been sure that he would pick her call first but after all that happened she wasn't sure enough if he would even pick her call or not. Still she thought of trying her dumb luck.

"Accepted!" She took out her cell phone to dial his number.

"Wait….wait….!"

"Now what?"

"What does the winner get?" Ayan asked.

Zoya made a sick face. "What do you want kid?"

"Well, a favor."

"What favor?" Zoya asked in bewilderment.

"will tell you later…..what about you?"

"Ummm……… well, I guess, that monster bike of yours for at least an hour."

"What? Will you ride it?"

"Wheeling actually." She beamed.

"you crazy…..tumhe kuch ho gaya tu Bhai jaan will shoot me dead."

"Your wish! Accept it or reject it." She said so because somewhere she knew she might not win this time.

"Fine! Are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

Both run their finger on the touch pads in their hands. Zoya's heart flutters as the first bell makes its way.

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Asad stared at the waves splashing back and forth on the beach, strong gusts of zephyr blew his hair back, the wind felt so soothing on his existence. He closed his eyes, trying to diminish his frustration. The vibration of his cell phone brings him back to his senses, he gazes at the two phones beside him, both buzzing at the same time. One blinked with Ayan's name, his eyes instinctively fall on the other……Zoya! ………..his heart raced and he inadvertently but impulsively picked her call.

The first thing he heard was Zoya's gasp as if she wasn't expecting him to pick her call. She hadn't been calling him for the last 3 days, which was getting on his nerves and now when she finally did, he couldn't stop himself from picking it.

"Asad!" he heard her whisper, so low that it was hardly audible.

He didn't know what to say, he listened quietly, as he could almost feel her irregular breaths, her thumping heartbeats, even the warmth radiating from her cheeks.

'How are you?' he wanted to ask, but instead he said, "I am a little busy, if there is nothing important can you call later."

There was silence from the other side, he unwillingly disconnected the call.

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Zoya stood still, even when the call was disconnected, she couldn't believe he didn't even talk to her, but somewhere she was glad he did pick her call. Her eyes instinctively fall on Ayan who was gaping at her, she understood the look on his face, he had lost, she smiled a victorious smile, and then pretended the call was still going.

"I am good!"

"Fine. I love you too Mr. khan. Take care."

She again pretends to cut the call, beaming at Ayan, who still had his phone to his ears. The minute Zoya cuts her pretended call, Asad Picks Ayan's. Ayan who was highly annoyed at losing that too from Zoya, didn't even bother to fill in the formalities, he buzzed,

"Kab se try kar raha hun Bhai Jaan! Why weren't you picking my call?...(Pause)...what busy? How much can staring at the sea keep you busy?" He bites his tongue at the abrupt disclosure.

"I mean……umm…it was only a guess!" he knew what was ganna come from the other side so he changes the topic. "Where were you busy by the way?"

"On another call?"

Zoya who was listening intently to him, sticks out her tongue for him like a five year old. Ayan wrinkles his nose.

"aAA…..koi larki thi?" He asks anyway.

There is silence from the other side.

"Dekha! I always feared ke hum do bhaion ke darmian koi larki na a jaye!" Ayan twitched his eyes in the weirdest fashion just to irk Zoya, who simply gave him the 'Duh!' look.

"Fine….Allah Hafiz!" he angrily cuts the call.

As soon as he does so Zoya bursts out laughing….. "You are too much Ayan!...just because your Bhai Jaan didn't pick your call you are literally freaking out………..like a toddler does when someone snatches his favorite lollypop from him!"

"Ha ha very funny!" An annoyed Ayan snapped back. But soon smiles seeing her laugh so heartily, at least he was successful in bringing her out of that depression.

"You look quite healthy when you smile." Ayan said gazing at her.

"Healthy? The weirdest compliment! Anyways thanks!" She smiled joyfully at him.

He gently places both his hands on her shoulders. Zoya looks at him in confusion; he stares back in her well, deep eyes.

"I want to see you happy Zoya…..not because you are my cousin now but also because you are very important to me." He paused, Zoya still stared in confuzzlement.

"Asad Bhai jaan is very important to me, and everything that is important to him is equally important to me and I know how much you two value each other……..honestly telling you I am more than just happy that you are there in his life, I finally saw that shadow away from him, I finally saw that light in his eyes- which was missing since forever. All because of you!" he smiled gratefully.

Zoya's eyes welled up with tears as her curved in a beautiful smile.

'No wonder Mr. Khan adores him so much, he is really special.'

"No please…….tum bhi Humera ki tarha baat baat pe rona mat shuru kar dia karo."

Zoya clears away the tears and asks,

"Humera?" Zoya tries recalling as the name sounds a little known to her.

"Oh! Myeee Great God! Humera!!!!!" he flung his hands in the air with His eyes popping out as he clearly remembered something important all of a sudden. "I forgot, I was here with her and….." he checks his wrist watch for the time.

"and its past an hour since I left her, she must be going crazy looking all around for me!" he almost pulls his hair with his hand.

Zoya pouts her lips, trying to think out something for him but before she can think of anything Ayan turns around to find Humera glaring at him. The look on her face clearly stated he was in trouble now.

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